Texas Border Business
PHARR – Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD (PSJA) students can head over to the Pharr Aquatic Center to cool off this summer for the annual free Summer Swimming Sports Camps. The sessions run until June 28 for Summer I and July 1-26 for Summer II with classes in swimming, water polo,
PSJA is offering two morning swimming sessions for 6th-12th grade students, as well as an afternoon session for water polo and diving. According to Leslie Richardson, PSJA ISD head diving coach, coaches will teach students the fundamentals, while also encouraging them to have fun and become comfortable in the water.
“We’re really excited that the school district has opened these camps for us, the community and the students,” Richardson said. “All the coaches are really eager to have these kids come out and we really have fun with them.”
In the afternoon, students’ heads bob above the water, waiting patiently for their turn to catch the ball, while their watchful coaches direct and orchestrate the game of water polo before them. Some students like Julio Gomez, 11th grade diver from PSJA Early College High School, return each year for one-on-one practices before the start of the school year.
“Here, each coach cares about you, they talk to you every day and it’s a closer community too,” Gomez said. “You (also) make a lot of new friends, have a good time and it keeps you active.”
Impressed with the rapid growth of PSJA’s swimming program, Athletic Director Orlando Garcia, encourages students to participate in summer sports camps and lifetime sports like swimming, golf and tennis.
“These are sports that students can take with them for the rest of their lives to work on staying healthy,” Garcia said.
PSJA ISD students interested in joining the Summer II camp, which starts July 1, may sign-up by visiting www.psjaisd.us/swimming or by calling (956) 495-6761.
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